(Read in Italian) This month the girls of “Italy Blogging Roundtable” are about to celebrate their first year of blogging together. To mark the occasion in a special way they have invited their friends to join them by writing a guest post on one of the 12 topics that they blogged about last year. So, I had a choice of one of these topics: “why I write about Italy”, “Driving in Italy, Favorite Art”, “Vacation Italian Style”, “School”, “Autumn”, “Food”, “Gifts”, “Crafts”, “Roots”, and “Invites”. These all seem uniquely interesting themes, and perhaps you recall that in December I joined these bloggers by writing a guest post on the topic of “Gifts“, but this time I decided to choose the topic of “Invitations” because, well…it is just so inviting, right!?
So, on this first day of May I would like to invite you all to spend a few moments of the morning in my garden. Do you hear the birds singing? Do you see the first golden rays of the sun that make the dew drops on the flowers sparkle? At this moment time of day everything in quiet. The day is full of promise. The world seems new and anything is possible.
Last month I worked a lot in the garden. I cleaned it and prepared it for the spring. I brushed away the dead debris left from winter and I planted flowers, herbs and even tomatoes. Here are impressions of little hands that make me remember that little things when cared for with love grow up to be big…in a hurry!
If you look carefully you can see the first shoots that are sprouting up.
Our tomato plants! We are also trying to grow Italian tomatoes from seeds that the Mirabile family gave to us before leaving Puglia last summer. Hopefully they will grow big and we can eat them before the snails!
There is a variety of riotous color in the garden. At times it seems the colorful flowers are perfect subjects, worthy of a Matisse painting.
In my garden you can not only hear the birds that sing with the first rays of the morning sun, but you can also see flowers that look like birds!
There is a wonderful aroma in the air and even the smallest of flowers seem almost regal.
So… by this time the morning is off to a fantastic beginning and it is time for breakfast. I have a couple of little furry friends that need me and who want me to feed them. I need to also prepare breakfast for my son. I hear the telephone ring. The bell rings alerting me that I have incoming email. I also smell the aroma of freshly made coffee! Ok! The golden moment has passed. The sun rises higher in the sky and another busy day is upon me. Thanks for accepting my invite to stroll about my garden!
But wait! I have another invitation for you! Come with me to Italy this summer. I am planning a “Language Immersion Tour” in Lecce in Puglia 19-26 Agosto with Yle di YLTour. It would be great to have you along with me. You can expect a week spent with a small group of new friends who are passionate about Italy, wine, cooking and leaning Italian. Men, Women, couple of all ages. Language students of all levels are welcome, from beginners to more advanced. There are spots for a minimum for 4 people and a maximum of 15. For costs and more details read these blog posts below: 2012 Language Immersion Tour in Puglia & Learn Italian under the Olive Trees (how the language will be taught)
Thank you to my friends Gloria of At Home in Tuscany , Rebecca of Brigolante, Melanie from Italofile, Alexandra from ArtTrav, and Jessica of Why Go Italy for inviting me to participate in this month’s edition of the “Italy Blogging Roundtable” on the occasion of their 1-year anniversary of blogging together. Check out their blogs to find out what they are up to this month!
Every day, we will share and discuss a glossary of new words that we will be using during the day’s activities. The lessons are informal, never will we sit at desks, but rather we will be in the real world participating in activities that will be relaxing and entertaining. Each activity we will do is well thought out in advance and will be presented and explained to the participants in an informative way. Often school rooms are boring and tedious. We have thought out a language learning program that is interesting and original. In the process of learning there will not be a distinction between the lessons and the activities and tours, because everything will happen all together. Among our objectives other than speaking Italian, will be also the chance to have a unique and unforgettable vacation.
Ecco i vostri hostess per il 2012 Language Immersion Tour in Puglia! Siete pronti per una vancanza favolosa in Puglia in Agosto!? Se non avete sentito, Yle di YLTour ed io stiamo collaborando a fare un 
Afternoon visit of Lecce
Today we will tour, visit, taste and meet some famous wine producers, taste their wines and know many interesting things on their families wine stories and wine
opportunity I could not miss. So! I am very pleased to accept her offer and to invite you to join me and Yle in Puglia this summer for an unforgettable tour! It will be a magical moment for learning the language, making new friends, cooking with Italian mammas and taking excursions to discover more about southern Italy and Puglia.
contesti veri.
Ylenia is a Lecce native with over 10 years of tourism (custom trips in Puglia/Salento) and organisational experience in the heel of Italy. She very well knows the area and selects the very best cooking lessons, yoga retreats, winery and gourmet tours, excursions to artisan food and producers, incentive ideas as part of your vacation in wonderful villages throughout Salento and Puglia. You wake up in a masseria eating fresh pastries or local crostata then spend the morning hours with her exploring local villages, going to the beach and cooking lunch with an excellent local negroamaro wine. Cooking classes take place in spacious country kitchens. Each day of the program with her will include markets days, wine cantina trips, olive orchards visits, artisan shops, local farms, but also water painting under olive trees and photo shooting of the stunning places you will visit. Outdoor activities are welcome as well! Evenings are free to have a meal in local trattorie or stay in the property to relax. Besides the food and yoga, the joy for her is the local people with their warmth and sense of family in the beautiful local countryside, tasting wine and local delicacies and meeting the people who live in small villages around or simply cook with a native family . With Ylenia you will experience a rustic and friendly holiday atmosphere: a yoga class under the trees, in front of the sky or on the beach, a fun cooking class with a local mamma, shopping in fresh veg markets, meeting friends, eating regional foodstuffs, hanging out with local farmers, excellent local wine and visits to popular villages festivities, cycling and much more!! Food, cooking, wine, sport, incentive activities are a wonderful reason for visiting the region She is always happy to welcome new friends, both solo travelers, groups, press and TO interested in discovering Puglia and Salento with her: a daily warm friendly atmosphere flavored with simplicity and joy. She speaks Italian, English, French.
Ylenia is a Lecce native with over 10 years of tourism (custom trips in Puglia/Salento) and organisational experience in the heel of Italy. She very well knows the area and selects the very best cooking lessons, yoga retreats, winery and gourmet tours, excursions to artisan food and producers, incentive ideas as part of your vacation in wonderful villages throughout Salento and Puglia. You wake up in a masseria eating fresh pastries or local crostata then spend the morning hours with her exploring local villages, going to the beach and cooking lunch with an excellent local negroamaro wine. Cooking classes take place in spacious country kitchens. Each day of the program with her will include markets days, wine cantina trips, olive orchards visits, artisan shops, local farms, but also water painting under olive trees and photo shooting of the stunning places you will visit. Outdoor activities are welcome as well! Evenings are free to have a meal in local trattorie or stay in the property to relax. Besides the food and yoga, the joy for her is the local people with their warmth and sense of family in the beautiful local countryside, tasting wine and local delicacies and meeting the people who live in small villages around or simply cook with a native family . With Ylenia you will experience a rustic and friendly holiday atmosphere: a yoga class under the trees, in front of the sky or on the beach, a fun cooking class with a local mamma, shopping in fresh veg markets, meeting friends, eating regional foodstuffs, hanging out with local farmers, excellent local wine and visits to popular villages festivities, cycling and much more!! Food, cooking, wine, sport, incentive activities are a wonderful reason for visiting the region She is always happy to welcome new friends, both solo travelers, groups, press and TO interested in discovering Puglia and Salento with her: a daily warm friendly atmosphere flavored with simplicity and joy. She speaks Italian, English, French.
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In Hawaii there are an abundance of trails perfect for walking and if you follow them you will see stunning waterfalls, blow holes that spew sea water high into the air, blood red hibiscus flowers and birds with long colorful feathers. Sometime you will feel as if you have just stepped foot into the jungles of Jurassic Park. But, the particular walk which I would like to describe to you is a path that can be found only at low tide, and when you follow it, it seems that you are walking on the water. I’m talking about the path that crosses the coral reef, from the windward side of Oahu in a small island called Mokolii or “Chinaman’s Hat”. The island is called just that because it has a conical shape and looks like a Chinese peasant hat.
them in rubber inflatables. However, a word of advise from one who has taken this walk. When you make this trek make sure to wear tennis shoes to avoid the rough and sharp coral branches. You can all thank me later!
not! The water never gets much deeper than your hips and you will soon get used to the sensation of “hiking” through the water with the sea creatures to guide you. In fact, the barrier is home to many fish and an abundance of marine life and the first time I did this journey I was a bit worried because I had heard I might see baby hammer head sharks in the water. We were told by our Hawaiian neighbor, who was also our guide that day, to just lightly hit them on their noses to make them go away. I just hoped to see the babies and not the mothers, because I know that a mother can be very protective and I for one did not want to lose my toes!
the lava rocks to the top to have a beautiful view of the windward side of Oahu. From the top you can also see the peninsula that the Hawaiians call “King Kamehameha’s Turtle”. According to legend the giant turtle guarded a secret grotto that lead to a tunnel that the King used to reach the neighboring island of Molokai.
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